Shaped mattress tor for correcting pedal deformities in children



Sept. 5, 1937 H, RAWT 3,339,544

SHAPED MATTRESS TOP FOR CORRECTING PEDAL DEFORMITIES IN CHILDREN Filed Dec. 11, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. H/IR V57 hRA V/ 72 7// ATTORNEYS SHAPED MATTRESS TOP FOR CORRECTING PEDAL DEFORMITIES-IN CHILDREN Filed Dec.

H- KRAVITZ Sept. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R INVENTOR.

HARVEY KRAV/TZ Mm WM Z 2 r w WW United States Patent 3,339,544 SHAPED MATTRESS TOP FOR CORRECTING PEDAL DEFORMITIES IN CHILDREN Harvey Kravitz, 9243 Avers Ave., Skokie, Ill. 60076 Filed Dec. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 417,713 7 Claims. (Cl. 128-80) This invention relates generally to an improvement for correcting certain pedal deformities in children and more particularly to a novel and inexpensive means for correcting toeing-in of the feet in certain children.

It will be appreciated by medical practitioners and others skilled in the art that many children are born with their feet positioned in the uterus in such a way that they sleep with their feet in a toe-in position, also referred to as pigeon-toed position. This is particularly true when the children are placed on their stomachs, a position preferred by the great majority of infants.

Since an infant sleeps during a greater part of the twenty-four hour day, its feet remain in the toe-in position which becomes the position of rest. Consequently, this often results in torsion of the tibial bone inwardly. Attempts to correct such pedal deformities customarily have included the placement of the feet in plaster of Paris casts, or in special shoes with rigid metal bars, or both. Manifestly, these prior techniques have not been wholly satisfactory due to the relative high degrees of discomfort and cost involved.

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a new and improved means for correcting pedal deformities in children which overcomes the undesirable limitations of the prior art devices.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved means for correcting pedal deformities which comprises a specially molded mattress top, shaped to cause the feet to be rotated and toed-out when the child is positioned on its stomach.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a novel molded mattress top which may be formed as an integral part of a mattress or which may be an attachment for simple and ready positioning on top of a standard mattress.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a novel molded mattress top which advantageously is comprised of a hollow, inflatable tube member positioned between the childs legs and adapted, when inflated, to cause the feet to be rotated to a toed-out position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a novel molded mattress top having a centrally located inflatable tube and a pair of outwardly located plastic tubes which cooperate to form a molded receptacle for each leg to facilitate positioning of the legs in the desired toed-out condition.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novel molded mattress top as described, with one or more inflatable tubes for positioning legs and further comprising flexible foot restraints to secure the childs feet in the desired toed-out position.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide -a new and improved molded mattress top, as described, which is characterized by its relative comfort of use and low cost of manufacture.

The novel features which are characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an illustrative top view showing an infant positioned upon its stomach on a molded mattress top embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view, partly in cross-section, taken substantially as shown along line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view showing one way in which the flexible foot restraint may be attached to the mattress and taken substantially as shown along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating a child upon its stomach on an alternative embodiment of the molded mattress top of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment of the invention taken substantially as shown along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view illustrating the molded receptacle provided for the childs legs by the alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof, there is illustrated one advantageous embodiment of the molded mattress top comprising the present invention. While the illustrative embodiments of FIGURES l and 2 are shown in the form of a mattress attachment which can be secured to the top of a standard mattress, it will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the novel features of the present invention are in no way limited to the use of a separate attachable mattress top. Therefore, it is fully contemplated that the invention may take the form-of either a mattress top attachment as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, or alternatively, it may take the form of an integral mattress construction wherein the molded portions are constructed into and are made a part of a unitary mattress construction.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, the embodiment of the invention takes the form of a mattress top cover 10 which may be formed of any suitable textile, plastic or rubber material, as desired. Since the embodiment of FIGURE 1 is in the form of an attachment, the mattress top 10 is provided with a number of openings 12 through which the strings or cords 14 are positioned. In this manner, the mattress top 10 may be secured to the top surface of a standard childs mattress 16 and may be held in position thereon by means of a suitable knot 18 or other locking member provided on the bottom surface of the mattress 16.

The central portion of the mattress top 10 is advantageously provided with a tubular member 20 which advantageously is tapered to a relatively narrow crosssection at its inner end 22 and tapers outwardly to the relatively larger cross-section at its outer end 24. While the tubular member 20 is shown as tapered in this illustrative embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that it is not necessary to practice the principles of the invention to so taper the tubular member and that it may take any desirable configuration, provided it serves the purpose of rotating the childs feet outwardly to the toed-out position in the manner described below.

In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tubular member 20 is formed of an inflatable tube, such as may be made out of plastic, rubber, or other flexible materials. The inflatable embodiment advantageously is provided with a suitable inlet tube 26 to permit the tubular member 20 to be inflated by air When it is desired to use the novel molded mattress top. Obviously, the tubular member 20 may be inflated to its proper position by blowing air through the inlet tube 26 and then by securing the inlet tube to cause the air to remain under pressure therein. As an alternative to the use of a tubular member 20 comprised of an inflatable tube, it is contemplated that the tubular member 20 may be formed of a suitable packing such as cotton, kapok, or other mattress stufling materials, so that the tubular member 20 will be permanently molded into place.

The use of the invention now will be described. When the child is positioned upon its stomach on top of the molded mattress top the childs legs are spread so that they straddle the raised molded tubular member 20. Due to the raised and arcuate configuration of the tubular member 20, the childs feet will be rotated to the toed-out position illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings. Since, as stated above, an infant spends the greater portion of the twenty-four hour day in the sleeping or rest position, the novel mattress configuration will have the effect of counteracting any tendency of the feet to be maintained in a toe-in position, thereby providing a relatively inexpensive and yet comfortable correction for this particular problem.

If desired, the corrective effect of the invention may be enhanced by the use of suitable foot restraints. As shown in FIGURES l and 2, such foot restraints may take the form of foot bands or shoes formed of a flexible material, such as plastic, cloth, or the like so as to minimize any discomfort to the child. The childs feet are placed in the foot restraints which helps to maintain the feet in the toe-out position while the child is resting upon the novel mattress top. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the use of the foot restraints is an optional feature of the invention and that the novel mattress top may be used with or without the foot restraints, as desired. In FIGURE 3 of the drawings, there is illustrated one means of attaching the foot restraint 28 to the molded mattress top 10. In this particular embodiment, the mattress top 10 is provided with a perforated recess member 30 and the foot restraint 28 is provided with a shaped projection 32 adapted to be snapped into position within the recess 30. If the foot restraints 28 are not desired, they may be removed by unsnapping the projection 32 from the recess 30, as desired.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGURES 4, 5, and 6 of the drawing. In this embodiment, the mattress top 10 is similar to that shown in the previous embodiment in that it comprises a centrally located tubular member which may be filled or inflated so as to extend longitudinally from one end of the mattress top to permit the childs legs to straddle the same. The outward rotation or toeing-out of the childs feet is facilitated in this embodiment of the invention by the use of two additional tubular members provided on the outer edges of the mattress top 10 and extending longitudinally so as to be substantially parallel to the centrally located tubular member 20. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the mattress top 10- is provided with the additional tubular members 34 and 36 positioned substantially along the outer edges of the mattress top 10 so as to provide a molded recess for each leg. This is particularly shown in FIGURE 6 which illustrates this embodiment of the invention with the childs legs removed so that the molded recesses 42 which are adapted to receive the feet 40 may be better seen. As there shown, the raised tubular members 36 and 20 cooperate to form a recess 42 for the left leg of the child, while the raised tubular members 20 and 34 cooperate to form a similar modled recess 42 for the right leg of the child. Due to the cooperative actions of the three molded tubular members, the childs feet and legs will be better held in the desired position without the use of any additional foot restraints. However, if desired, flexible bands 44 may also be added to the mattress top, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, to serve as additional foot restraints for the child.

As stated above, the raised tubular members may be inflatable or may be filled with a suitable material so as to be permanently raised in position. In addition, the raised tubular members 20, 34 and 36 may be shaped, in any desired manner, so as to provide a mold particularly fitted for receiving the childs legs, as illustrated in FIG- URE 6, for example. All of these various embodiments, and others which will occur to those skilled in the art, are intended to carry out the novel principles of the present invention, which are to provide a comfortable and inexpensive means for causing the childs feet to be rotated outwardly and held in the toed-out position, without the use of plaster casts or special shoes having rigid metal bars.

While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the present invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and alternative constructions may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and alternative constructions as fall within their true spirit and scope.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. Means for correcting pedal deformities in children comprising the improvement of a shaped mattress top for supporting a child in rest position upon its stomach, a tubular member extending longitudinally of said mattress top, and centrally thereof from one end of said mattress top, said tubular member being tapered from said one end of the mattress, when the mattress top is seen in plain view, toward the center portion of the mattress, the wider portion of the tubular member being at said one end of the mattress, such that the childs legs straddle said tubular member when the child is in the rest position, said tubular member being formed with an external arcuate configuration having its highest elevation along the central longitudinal axis of said member so as to cause the feet of the child to be maintained in the toed-out position when the child is resting on its stomach upon said mattress top, said tubular member being formed of a hollow inflatable tube with means for inflating said tube with air to its operative condition.

2. The improvement of a shaped mattress top in accordance with claim 1 wherein said mattress top is separate from and attachable to a normal mattress, and further comprising means for attaching said shaped mattress top in position upon the upper surface of said mattress.

3. Means for correcting pedal deformities in children comprising the improvement of a shaped mattress top for supporting a child in rest position upon its stomach, a tubular member extending longitudinally of said mattress top, and centrally thereof from one end of said mattress top, said tubular member being tapered from said one end of the mattress, when the mattress top is seen in plan view, toward the center portion of the mattress, the wider portion of the tubular member being at said one end of the mattress, such that the childs legs straddle said tubular member when the child is in the rest position, said tubular member being formed with an external arcuate configuration having its highest elevation along the central longitudinal axis of said member so as to cause the feet of the child to be maintained in the toed-out position when the child is resting on its stomach upon said mattress top, said tubular member being formed of a hollow inflatable tube with means for inflating said tube with air to its operative condition, and foot restraints on opposite sides of said tubular member, said foot restraints being formed to receive the childs feet and securing them in the desired toed-out position.

4. Means for correcting pedal deformities in children comprising the improvement of a shaped mattress top for supporting a child in rest position upon its stomach, a tubular member extending longitudinally of said mattress top, and centrally thereof from one end of said mattress top, said tubular member being tapered from said one end of the mattress, when the mattress top is seen in plan view, toward the center portion of the mattress, the wider portion of the tubular member being at said one end of the mattress, such that the childs legs straddle said tubular member when the child is in the rest position, said tubular member being formed with an external arcuate configuration having its highest elevation along the central longitudinal axis of said member so as to cause the feet of the child to be maintained in the toed-out position when the child is resting on its stomach upon said mattress top, and foot restraints on opposite sides of said tubular member, said foot restraints being formed to receive the childs feet and securing them in the desired toed-out position. I

5. Means for correcting pedal deformities in children comprising the improvement of a shaped mattress top for supporting a child in rest position upon its stomach, a tubular member extending longitudinally of said mattress top, and centrally thereof from one end of said mattress top, said tubular member being tapered from said one end of the mattress, when the mattress top is seen in plan view, toward the center portion of the mattress, the wider portion of the tubular member being at said one end of the mattress, such that the childs legs straddle said tubular member when the child is in the rest position, said tubular member being formed with an external arcuate configuration having its highest elevation along the central longitudinal axis of said member so as to cause the feet of the child to be maintained in the toed-out position when the child is resting on its stomach upon said mattress top.

6. The improvement of a shaped mattress top in accordance with claim 5 wherein said tubular member is formed as an integral pre-formed part of said mattress top.

7. Means for correcting pedal deformities in children comprising the improvement of a formed mattress top for supporting a child in rest position upon its stomach, a first tubular member extending longitudinally of said mattress top, and centrally thereof from one end of said mattress top, said tubular member being tapered from said one end of the mattress, when the mattress top is seen in plan view, toward the center portion of the mattress, the Wider portion of the tubular member being at said one end of the mattress, such that the childs legs straddle said tubular member when the child is in the rest position, said tubular member being formed with an external arcuate configuration having its highest elevation along the central longitudinal axis of said member so as to cause the feet of the child to be maintained in the toed-out position when the child is resting on its stomach upon said mattress top, and a pair of additional tubular members, said additional tubular members being respectively positioned on opposite sides of said first centrally located tubular member to define leg receiving recesses therebetween to enhance the maintenance of the childs feet in the toed-out position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,562,809 11/1925 Thompson 5-91 2,470,398 5/1949 Hayes 5-91 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

J. W. HINEY, Assistant Examiner. 

5. MEANS FOR CORRECTING PEDAL DEFORMITIES IN CHILDREN COMPRISING THE IMPROVEMENT OF A SHAPED MATRESS TOP FOR SUPPORTING A CHILD IN REST POSITION UPON ITS STOMACH, A TUBULAR MEMBER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MATRESS TOP, AND CENTRALLY THEREOF FROM ONE END OF SAID MATRESS TOP, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING TAPERED FROM SAID ONE END OF THE MATRESS, WHEN THE MATRESS TOP IS SEEN IN PLAN VIEW, TOWARD THE CENTER PORTION OF THE MATRESS, THE WIDER PORTION OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER BEING AT SAID ONE END OF THE MATRESS, SUCH THAT THE CHILD''S LEGS STRADDLE SAID TUBULAT MEMBER WHEN THE CHILD IS IN THE REST POSITION, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH AN EXTERNAL ARCUATE CONFIGURATION HAVING ITS HIGHEST ELEVATION ALONG THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID MEMBER SO AS TO CAUSE THE FEET OF TH ECHILD TO BE MAINTAINED IN THE TOED-OUT POSITION WHEN THE CHILD IS RESTING ON ITS STOMACH UPON SAID MATRESS TOP. 